Warning! Spoilers for The Waterfront season 1 ahead!
Topher Grace’s character was a highlight ofThe Waterfrontseason 1, and this could be a significant issue for a potential sophomore season. This Netflix series followed the Buckleys, the seemingly well-off owners of a fishery in a small town in North Carolina. Though their empire seems strong from the outside, the Buckleys are left scrambling in private, desperate to patch up their crumbling finances. In an effort to bring in some extra cash fast, the Buckleys dive back into the old family business—heroin trafficking. This is where Grace’sThe Waterfrontcharacter comes in.
Grace plays Grady inThe Waterfrontseason 1, the heroin supplier who goes into business with the Buckleys. Naturally, things quickly get out of hand in the crime business for this family, and Grady becomes a dangerously unpredictable villain in the Netflix series. Grace’s character seems high energy and easy to get along with at first, but it becomes evident thathe’s a killer who will commit unthinkable acts of violence with a warm smile on his face. Overall, Grady was a unique player inThe Waterfront’scomfortingly formulaic first season.
Topher Grace’s Grady Was The Best Part Of The Waterfront Season 1
This Unhinged Villain Balanced Out The Whole Series
The Waterfrontseason 1 was an entertaining ride. The Netflix series is a crime drama with that added dysfunctional family trope—an effectiveOzarkalternative. Season 1 came with its fair share of surprises, but the story was generally predictable by design. We know exactly the sorts of decisions that a grizzly character like Harlan Buckley will make, just as we can anticipate that Cane will make rash decisions and Bree will serve as the emotional weight of the overarching series. Then,the predictability and formulaic nature ofThe Waterfrontwas balanced through Grady.
He was warm and likable, even slightly adorable, but this was disturbingly juxtaposed by his lethal behavior.
Grace’s character was a complete wildcard.The sophisticated Parkers were the sort of villains we would expect for a series likeThe Waterfront, and Grady was the complete opposite of these men.He was warm and likable, even slightly adorable, but this was disturbingly juxtaposed by his lethal behavior. I found Grady to be the best part ofThe Waterfrontseason 1, and from the moment he appeared, I suddenly felt like all bets were off in this otherwise predictable crime drama. It was precisely the sort of flair the series needed.
Unfortunately, Grady didn’t last long inThe Waterfront. It really seemed as if he would be hard to get rid of, since even the Parkers' assassins failed to take the officially diagnosed sociopathic narcissist down. However, after a big showdown on Gracy’s yacht, the man was blown to pieces and dumped in the ocean. It was, in all truth, a great end for his character. However,the fact that Grace’s Grady is gone for good is bad news forThe Waterfrontseason 2.
The Waterfront Season 2 Will Have A Tough Time Following Up Its Season 1 Villain
The Parkers Really Won’t Cut It
Though I’m intrigued by the Waterfrontseason 1 cliffhanger regarding Belle and the Parkers, it’s disappointing that Grace’s Grady won’t appear in season 2.The entire point of his character was that he was so much more unpredictable and dangerous than even the Parkers, so it’s a bit anticlimactic that this sophisticated family of crime now stands asThe Waterfront’s primary antagonists.Without Grady, this series lacks the balance that kept its more formulaic plotlines and characters so interesting.
We can hope that any future villain characters Williamson brings into the story will be written with the same sort of thought and care.
The Waterfrontcreator Kevin Williamsonwrote the role of Grady with Grace in mind, establishinga character that was frighteningbecauseof the actor’s familiar likability. We can hope that any future villain characters Williamson brings into the story will be written with the same sort of thought and care. Still, it’s possible that the Parkers are intended to be the “big bad” of the overarching series. Regardless, with such a strong start in Grace’s Grady,The Waterfrontseason 2 will have a significant challenge trying to up the ante.
